Ponder
by Nightlast
Summary: ONE-SHOT! Marik thinks of all the people he hurt while hiding out at the docks of domino city. Sibling cuteness with slight angst and humor. Fluffy!


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Nightlast: ::is peeking around::

Marik: ::wants you to know that he is the hikari and that the dub names, except for Rishid, because 'Odion' sounds like something I'd call a dog... or a brand of cereal. 'Have a delicious bowl of Kellog's chocolate and crispy Odion's! The perfect way to wake up in the morning...'::

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH OR ANY OF IT'S CHARCTERS.

NOTES: THIS FIC IS NOT A YAOI IN ANY WAY. I GOT THE IDEA FOR THIS BY READING LUCKYLADYBUG66'S STORIES ABOUT 300 TIMES OVER EACH. I DIDN'T CREATE THE CONCEPT, NOR DO I CLAIM TO.

DEDICATIONS: LUCKYLADYBUG66 BECAUSE OF HER IDEA'S FOR YUMMY SIBLING CUTENESS N' STUFF AND JOEY KUN JOEY FOR BEING A GREAT E-FRIEND.

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK AKURYOU-CHILD AND YAMI-NEFATA FOR MESSING UP MY BEDROOM 3 HOURS PRIOR TO THE WRITING OF THIS FANFICTION.

NOW GO READ IT, AND THEN PLEASE REVIEW IT!

_**-----BEGINNING!**_

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Marik didn't know how long he ran for; he didn't know how far he ran. He just knew that he had to run. He had hurt so many people, his family, people whom he knew nothing about, his 'enemy' and his friends... they were all innocent and yet he himself had been so blinded by hatred and anger. He couldn't live with himself after all that he had done, but at least he had given up the Millennium Rod, no longer did he have to worry about its burden.

And Rishid... ever faithful Rishid. His older and much wiser brother. How had he repaid the man's unwavering loyalty? With curses and yelled orders; hateful words and tantrums. But still Rishid had stood by him, hoping against all hopes that something would be done to bring his dear brother back from the dark abyss he had let himself fall into.

Then there was the ever patient Ishizu. His birth sister... she had opposed him during battle city, and that had stung. It had stung a lot, more so then he could ever admit. Stung even through his hate for the world and the Pharaoh both. He could remember how he had acted towards her, what he had said to her, and the pain he felt would be quenched and replaced with irrevocable guilt. Ishizu had had her reasons for doing what she did, unable to stand by and watch her brother be destroyed by his own feelings, she had done all she could do to stop the madness that had spread before everyone paid the price.

Then there was little Yugi and the Pharaoh, both undeserving of the torments he had given to them. Yugi had confused him so much, the way he tried his hardest to help even his enemies, to forgive them. His determination to help a friend even at the risk of his own safety, willing to sacrifice it all in the name of love and friendship.

Joey Wheeler, the blonde haired Brooklyn boy with a fierce protective streak. Always doing his best to keep his sister and his other friends safe and away from harm. Loud and impulsive though he was, Joey possessed a strength of heart that few now did. On top of all that though, he was a fun loving person who liked a challenge as much as a nice sandwich.

Tea, the mother figure of the group. Cheering on her comrades through the heat of the fiercest clash, supporting them when everything seemed lost and able to comfort them when things went wrong. She didn't seem to always get along with Joey however, and the two could often be found bickering each other's ears out.

Serenity Wheeler, Joey's sister, and to Marik, they couldn't be more different. Serenity was quiet and unsure, sometimes seeking shelter when she couldn't bear to watch her big brother in trouble. While it was true that she was shy, there was that same fire in her heart and soul that her brother had. And, Marik mused; she seemed quite the unintentional boy magnet.

Then there was Kaiba. Seemingly cold and unfeeling, the multi-millionaire was a hard puzzle to figure out. It was obvious that he treasured his brother more than anything else in the world. Forget the God Cards, if Mokuba was in trouble, Kaiba was going to tear the culprit to itty-bitty shreds. As for the younger Kaiba himself, from what Marik had heard and seen of him, he was pretty outspoken at times and adored his brother.

Bakura and his Yami personality couldn't be more different from one another. While Bakura could be quite reserved and didn't seem to say overly much, he held strong in his beliefs and refused to let himself be stamped down, even when it was obvious that he didn't have a chance. Yami Bakura, however, was different. He seemed to care nothing for those he hurt in his self-proclaimed quest for power; he had proven that he did indeed care a little when he took the blast from the god card back on battle ship. While it was obvious that Yami Bakura preferred to go his own way in all things, he would try his hardest to keep his end of the bargain... that might have something to do with the fact that the payment was the Rod though, so maybe that didn't count as much.

Marik sighed to himself as he finally came to a rest at the Domino city docks. He would never understand those people, even though he knew he had done his fair bit of observing as he had watched their struggles throughout the competition. Even though some of them may not realize it, they were already a very tight-knit group. It just wouldn't be the same without the likes of Seto Kaiba and Yami Bakura. Marik knew that those two were the main two that kept the rest of 'the gang' working their very hardest... if it wasn't for that, Marik had a feeling that they would never had stood a chance against the evils of his Yami, the very evil that he himself had created.

As he thought about it, Marik came to realize that Yami Marik had been a test on them all. It was hard to think that there could be anything worse waiting in the wing, but he was sure that even if it wasn't the same as that abomination, the next challenge that the Pharaoh and his lot faced would be hard to defeat in different ways. Everything seemed to change so fast, so why not dump a load more dangers on them? It seemed to go with the flow of things.

Battle city should not have happened. If it wasn't for him, it wouldn't have.

"Master Marik?"

Marik's head jerked up and he gasped when he saw Rishid standing a few feet away, staring at him with concern, "...Yes...?"

"You should not have run off like that. Your sister is almost frantic with worry." Rishid came closer, knelt next to his precious younger brother and master and hugged him gently.

Marik sighed dejectedly and turned his head away slightly, not able to look into the man's, still his brother's, golden eyes and see the hate festering behind the kind exterior. Swallowing his tears, Marik burrowed his head into his knees, wrapping his arms around his them and pulling himself into a tighter ball.

"You don't have to pretend Rishid. Go ahead and blame me for everything that happened," he smiled in a wry yet sad way, "we both know it's the truth."

"What are you talking about?!" Rishid exclaimed, shocked to the core, so this is why he ran off, he thought worriedly, "I- we, blame you for nothing. You have seen the error of your ways and you have repented! No blame rests upon you now!"

Marik looked at him and frowned, both at his words and the title he was being given, "Brother...."

His sibling looked at him sternly, "No more of this nonsense, Master Marik," he scolded, picking the sandy haired teenager up, chuckling softly when he protested heartily, "Listen to me when I tell you that I could never abandon you like you are thinking. You were in the wrong but you, unlike many, finally saw it and did whatever you could to prevent a disaster."

"You seem to have forgotten that I was the entire cause for everything that happened, Rishid."

"I have not, I just choose not to mention that, considering the fact that that was something that you could not have prevented. You never chose your destiny, master Marik, and that, along with other things, scarred you."

"You could at least put me down!"

"But where would the fun in that be?"

"RISHIIID!"

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_**-----END!**_

REVIEW? PLEASE?

(akuryou is very very very very impressed. So is Nefata)


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